Optimizing The Role Of The Kanigoro District Religious Affairs Office (Kua) In Realizing Sakinah Families: An Islamic Family Law Perspective

Abstract

This study examines the optimization of the role of the Kantor Urusan Agama (KUA), or District Religious Affairs Office, of Kanigoro in realizing sakinah families from the perspective of Islamic family law. While KUA Kanigoro fulfills its administrative mandate for marriage registration, its broader function as a catalyst for family formation remains underutilized. Drawing on empirical data from Kanigoro and comparative literature on KUA performance, this article identifies three principal deficiencies: the formalistic implementation of premarital guidance (bimbingan perkawinan), the absence of systematic post-marital monitoring, and the limited integration of health screening into family resilience programming. From an Islamic family law perspective, these gaps are significant because the sakinah family is not merely a sociological ideal but a normative objective grounded in Qur'anic injunction and maq??id al-shar?'ah. The article argues that optimizing KUA Kanigoro requires a shift from procedural compliance to substantive empowerment, prioritizing the transformative dimensions of bimbingan perkawinan, developing sustainable post-wedding advisory services, and embedding health and economic counseling within a maq??id-oriented framework. Such a reorientation would align KUA practice more closely with the foundational purposes of Islamic marriage: tranquility, mutual affection, and mercy. The study contributes to the broader discourse on the role of religious institutions in Muslim-majority societies and offers practical recommendations for policymakers and KUA practitioners seeking to enhance family resilience programming at the district level.